Introduction

First Advantage provides a reference and background checking service for its clients, to assist them in considering candidates for employment, promotion or other circumstances where an individual's background is relevant.

As part of our services, we receive personal information about candidates for the purposes of conducting our checks. In the course of conducting our checks, we may receive additional information about candidates, which comes from a variety of sources such as government departments, former employers or tertiary institutions ("our sources").

Because the information we obtain is personal and some of it (such as criminal records) is sensitive, we will only collect this information if we have received the candidate's consent to do so and we will only disclose it to our client if we have the candidate's consent to do so.

Kinds of personal information we hold
When we receive a request for our services, it usually includes details about the candidate, including their employment history, qualifications and other information relevant to their application.

When we verify information, we may receive additional information which verifies or adds to the information about the candidate. Again, this can include information about the candidate, including their employment history, qualifications and other information about the candidate such as their immigration status, criminal record, claims and judgments.

Main purposes for which we collect information
We only collect information about a candidate for the purpose of providing a reference and background checking report to the client who has engaged us. The consent we obtain from candidates includes a consent to provide information we collect to the client who engaged us. This information can include a report and copies of material provided to us by the relevant sources we have contacted.

We rely on the accuracy of the information provided by candidates in their application forms for the purposes of conducting our enquiries. When we receive information from our sources, we report that information to our client where necessary. Our primary purpose is to verify the information we receive from the candidate and to check whether there is other information which is relevant and which has not been disclosed. We rely on the information provided by candidates and the responses from our sources. We are not in a position to verify the accuracy of information received from sources, as this comes from their own databases.

How we store and use personal information
We store the personal information we receive in hard copy files and/or in electronic format in a database. The information is stored securely. We may distribute the information electronically by email or by fax to the client for whom our report is prepared. Information we receive will be stored electronically in a database and/or in hard copy format for compliance and back-up purposes.

Questions or complaints
If you have any complaints or questions regarding your personal information which we have collected, you may contact our Privacy Officer, by letter. Your personal information will only be released to you personally, unless you provide us with a written, signed authority to provide it to a third party. Our contact details are set out below. A fee may be charged to cover the costs of searching our records and providing information. We will advise you if a fee is payable.